KK was a political mystic – Mwamba
By Charles Tembo
UNIP says Dr Kenneth Kaunda felt God as a part of him and in moments of crisis reverted instinctively in prayer to the passionate simplicity the old religion had taught him.
Party president Trevor Mwamba said for Dr Kaunda, Zambia’s first president, God was a presence not a philosophical concept.
Bishop Mwamba said this in his Public Lecture dubbed ” Kenneth Kaunda: A Political Mystic” to mark the commemoration and opening of the Kenneth Kaunda Day on Thursday at the University of Zambia.
He said Dr Kaunda was a great statesman who was colossal on the political world stage and a great pan Africanist and peacemaker.
Bishop Mwamba said Dr Kaunda was a political mystic and his calling was to a higher power in tune with the infinite God.
“For president Kaunda God was a presence not a philosophical concept. He was aware of this presence, even in solitude, that he was not alone; that his cries for help or comfort or strength were heard. Above all, his belief in God gave him a feeling of unlimited responsibility. He acknowledged that he was a guardian rather than owner of such powers and talents as he possessed, answerable for his use or abuse of them to the one who had loaned them to him and would one day require a full reckoning. The sense of responsibility seemed to be a great burden but at least it freed him from worrying too much about popularity or fame,” he said. “Let’s dwell a little longer on the spirituality of president Kaunda to appreciate how significantly it influenced his decisions as a politician. President Kaunda felt God as a part of him and in moments of crisis reverted instinctively in prayer to the passionate simplicity the old religion had taught him. He believed that the spiritual dimension was an integral part of the human personality. And that if it was not developed or nurtured, it did not disappear but rather became corrupt and immoral. And could be destructive in later life as an immoral force.”
Bishop Mwamba said Dr Kaunda’s faith also made him respect and appreciate other religions.
“In president Kaunda his integrity was clearly reflected in foreign affairs. There are two attributes which comprehensively characterised him. First, his commitment to principles, secondly, his courage to take risks if he believed it would be helpful, without worrying about what others said. Accordingly, Zambia’s foreign policy was grounded on clear principles which were applied across the board. If the action of another country violated a particular principle, Zambia condemned or voted against that country, irrespective of who that country was,” noted Bishop Mwamba. “If meeting an enemy was deemed necessary to help resolve a problem (such as liberation, or advancing prospects for peace) president Kaunda did not shy away out of fear of being thought of as a traitor.”